LondonEnergy Chooses Mercedes-Benz Arocs tractor units

Waste management service specialist LondonEnergy has underscored its safety ethos by commissioning some of the first Mercedes-Benz Arocs tractor units in the UK to be equipped with ground-breaking MirrorCam technology.

The five trucks and their bespoke Legras (France) bulk trailers – four ejectors and a single moving floor – represent a total investment by the North London-based company of some £1.5 million.

The muscular Arocs will spend most of their time working between the flagship waste-to-energy plant on LondonEnergy’s 40-acre EcoPark head office site in Edmonton, and a household reuse and recycling centre in Islington. The two facilities are only six miles apart but the roads are heavily congested, so each unit typically makes the journey five times a day. The trucks will also service the company’s five other recycling centres, and transport wood and green waste to be recycled by third parties located nationwide.7

MirrorCam’s compact cameras provide much improved visibility to the rear. By replacing the conventional mirrors responsible for major blind spots, they also ensure that drivers can see a lot more of what matters in front of them. The result is enhanced safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and less stress for the individual at the wheel.

The trucks have ClassicSpace M-Cabs and are powered by 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder engines that produce 350 kW (476 hp), and lifting tag axles for enhanced manoeuvrability. They also left the factory with uprated 8.0-tonne front axles, as well as optional, reverse warning alarms and red seat belts.

Mercedes-Benz Safety Packs incorporate the latest Active Brake Assist 5 emergency braking technology and Proximity Control Assist. Whereas the previous version relied solely on radar, Active Brake Assist 5 employs cameras as well, to provide dramatically improved responses at speeds of up to 50 kph. The system can apply full braking – as opposed to the 50% achieved previously – if it detects a pedestrian crossing the truck’s path.

Source Mercedes-Benz